January Cold

January 02, 2013; 7:41 AM

Wednesday 9 a.m.

Two years ago today, the high temperature in New York City was 52 degrees. Snow from the 20-inch deep post-Christmas storm was melting. The melt rate slowed on Jan. 3 as temperatures held in the 30s. Incredibly, at least a 1-inch snowcover was reported in New York City for every day that January... and from Jan. 25 through Jan. 27, another 20-inch snowstorm hit. By Jan. 31, 2011, the city's seasonal snowfall was up to 56.1 inches, Little did they know at the time that the rest if the winter would only produce about 5 more inches.

The current setup shows cold air dominating the Northeast, but the cold should weaken in the Middle Atlantic states this weekend, and next week looks milder. The upper air currents affecting the northern half of the country are split from the flow affecting the Gulf states, and until that changes, there is not likely to be much precipitation in the Northeast any time soon.

This morning, lake-effect snow bands were affecting parts of New York state. The heaviest one was north of Syracuse as of mid-morning and was drifting southward.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com